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March 05, 2021

Zero-dose children and the immunisation cascade: understanding immunisation pathways in low and middle-income countries

While the global immunization coverage, estimated as the proportion of world’s children who received all doses of the basic vaccines (BCG, polio, DPT, and measles), has remained stable at 85% since 2010, there were about 13.5 million children under one year of age who did not receive those vaccines in 2018. We explored the magnitude of inequality in the immunization cascade in children aged 12-23 months according to the family’s socioeconomic position, the child’s sex, and p

March 03, 2021

Is womens empowerment associated with coverage of RMNCH interventions in low- and middle-income countries? An analysis using a survey-based empowerment indicator, the SWPER

Women’s empowerment has a strong potential to promote sustainable development. While reproductive, maternal, newborn and child health (RMNCH) intervention coverage has substantial variability across social strata, the association with women’s empowerment is less understood. In this study, we used Demographic and Health Survey data from 62 low- and middle-income countries to evaluate the association between women’s empowerment and the Composite Coverage Index (CCI), a weighte

January 11, 2021

Maternal education and equity in breastfeeding: trends and patterns in 81 low- and middle-income countries between 2000 and 2019

Many countries have experienced increases in rates of exclusive breastfeeding at national level, however, the equity gap by levels of maternal education has not been comprehensively accessed in low-and middle-income countries (LMICs). We assessed patterns and trends for six infant and young child feeding indicators (early initiation of breastfeeding, exclusive breastfeeding under 6 months, continued breastfeeding at 1 and 2 years, and consumption of formula under 6 and between 6-23 months) by le

January 11, 2021

Monitoring Breastfeeding Indicators in High-Income Countries: Levels, Trends and Challenges

Monitoring indicators of breastfeeding practices is important to protect and evaluate the progress of breastfeeding promotion efforts. However, high-income countries lack standardized methodology to monitor their indicators. Therefore, in this manuscript we aimed to update and summarize nationally representative annual estimates of breastfeeding indicators in high-income countries and to describe methodological issues pertaining to the data sources used. A review was conducted through population

November 24, 2020

Maternal and child health inequalities among migrants: the case of Haiti and the Dominican Republic

One of the most important intraregional migration routes in the Caribbean region is the flow of Haitian migrants to the Dominican Republic. Reasons include political and economic instability, as well as several natural disasters in Haiti. We assessed how migrant status affects coverage and inequalities in maternal and child health interventions by comparing Haitian migrant women and children with Haitians and Dominicans residing in their respective countries. We evaluated coverage using nine ind

November 09, 2020

Patterns in Wealth-related Inequalities in 86 Low- and Middle-Income Countries: Global Evidence on the Emergence of Vaccine Hesitancy

The World Health Organization had classified vaccine hesitancy as a threat to global health. A well-known phenomenon in high-income countries, we hypothesized that vaccine hesitancy might be emerging in low- and middle-income countries as well. Since immunization coverage usually shows social gradients with higher levels among wealthy than among poor individuals, we investigated whether the classical pro-rich pattern of immunization coverage changed over time in low- and middle-income countries.

October 21, 2020

The Lancet Commission on Gender-based violence and Maltreatment of Young People Webinar series

The ICEH researcher Carolina Coll moderated the webinar “Flattening the surge of violence against women and children: COVID-19 and beyond,” which took place virtually on October 20, 2020. The webinar, the first in a series organized by the Lancet Commission on Gender-based violence and Maltreatment of Young People, aimed “to address innovative international policy responses that have emerged in the face of COVID-19 and the broader changes needed to build back better a

October 20, 2020

Consumption of breast milk, formula, and other non-human milk by children aged under two years: analysis of 86 low and middle-income countries

Breastfeeding is associated with reduced child morbidity and mortality, and reduced risk of breast and ovarian cancer among nursing women. Optimal breastfeeding practices are estimated to prevent almost 600,000 child deaths annually from pneumonia and diarrhea alone. However, many factors can influence breastfeeding, being the aggressive market of formula one of the most relevant. This rationale led us to investigate socioeconomic inequalities in the consumption of different types of milk by chi